#Fahriye Kalfa

[awkward-sultana]

"Could she be changing loyalties?"

[magnificentlyreused]

This green cloak was first worn by Daye Hatun in the eighth episode of the second season of Magnificent Century. Three episodes later, it was worn again by Hatice Sultan. The cloak made another appearance on Nigar Kalfa in the ninth episode of the third season. The cloak was used three times in the fourth season, first on Fahriye Kalfa in the twelth episode, then on Gülbahar Kalfa in the fourteenth episode and lastly on Defne Sultan in the thirty-fourth episode.

Magnificent Century: Kösem saw the cloak on Mahfiruze Hatun in the sixth episode of the first season. The cloak also appeared twice in the second season, first on an unnamed harem member in the second epsiode and then on Meleki Hatun in the fourth episode.

It is also used on an unnamed harem member in the third episode of Mehmed The Conqueror (2018).

[redxluna]

Okay, but this?

This is some peak found family behavior.

[shivrcys]

I love a good Hürrem and Fahriye moment. She tells Fahriye how much of a help she is and also that she should give herself a break and work on recovering.

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

thinking about hürrem’s found family and how sumbul and fahriye remained loyal to her and her wishes long after her death…

[recycledmoviecostumes]

This dark pink and golden kaftan was first worn by Nur Fettahoğlu as Mahidevran Sultan in the thirty-fourth episode of the second season of Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Magnificent Century).

The kaftan was reused twice in the fourth season, first on Selen Öztürk as Gülfem Hatun in the eleventh episode and then on Burcu Güner as Fahriye Kalfa in the twenty-fourth episode.

Costume Credit: Wardrobeoftime, 1533 Secrets from History

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[faintingheroine]

Could you include the mc characters in your nigar or bihter post? xx

First of all Anon, you won me by writing Nigar instead of Nihal. I sometimes fear making that mistake because their names are so similar but I think I haven’t done it yet?

Anyway, great question.

If MC Characters Had Read Aşk-ı Memnu Who Would They Prefer? Nihal or Bihter? And Why If I Can Discern A Reason?

Sultan Süleyman: Bihter. Not wanting to be like his parent but becoming like him etc.

Hürrem: Bihter. She has a romantic and passionate nature, she would like Bihter’s tragedy.

Ibrahim: Could go either way. He could appreciate Nihal’s more Westernized nature and identify with her cultural alienation and love for music. But he could also identify with Bihter constantly being judged for things she can’t help. I really don’t know. I think he would like them both. But I am leaning towards Nihal.

Mahidevran: Could go either way.

Hatice: Nihal. She is what Nihal would be like if Nihal were an idiot.

Nigar Kalfa: Bihter. It is not even debatable.

Valide Sultan: Nihal.

Şah: Could go either way. She could like Nihal’s perceptiveness but she could also relate to Bihter’s unsatisfactory marriage.

Mercan Ağa: Nihal. He would be a Nihal/Beşir shipper.

Fatma Sultan: Firdevs.

Lütfi Pasha: Nihal. He would call Bihter a whore.

Daye Hatun: Could go either way.

Afife Hatun: Nihal. She would call Bihter a whore.

Mihrimah Sultan: She would have the Bihter from 2008 soap opera as her profile picture. If she ever read the book she would be annoyed by the Nihal parts and would cry over Bihter’s death. She would tell everyone that she is like Bihter despite being more like Nihal in every way.

Şehzade Mustafa: Nihal. 100 percent.

Şehzade Cihangir: Nihal.

Şehzade Bayezid: Nihal I think?

Huricihan Sultan: Nihal.

Nurbanu Sultan: Bihter. She would be a fan of the book.

Şehzade Selim: He hadn’t read the book.

Matrakçı: Nihal.

Sadıka: Bihter.

Gülnihal: Bihter.

Sümbül Ağa: Bihter.

Fahriye Kalfa: Nihal, I don’t know why.

***

Conclusion: I do realize that all the cooler characters that I like more would say Bihter. I think Turkish soaps are better at writing Bihter-type characters than Nihal-type characters.

[desmoonl]

Parallel between Fahriye kalfa being sent to kill Hürrem in s3 and kill Nurbanu in s4

[minetteskvareninova]

Which MC/MCK Character Belongs To Heaven? A Tier List

(All celestial realms only have three circles because I am lazy. Haven’t seen season 2 of Kösem in full, so I didn’t dare to judge. Also, this is about actual morality, quality as a character, as well as about how much I like them.)

Heaven 1st circle (second only to Jesus in God’s eyes): Cihangir, Gülnihal, Leo, Bülbül aga 2nd circle (mistakes were made, but overall we’ve canonized worse people): Anastasia!Kösem, Afife, Daye, Gül aga, Matrakçi, Sadika, Gölge, Sayeşte, Hüsrev pasha 3rd circle (heaven is half-empty anyway, I guess you’ll do): Bayezit (MC), Isabella Fortuna, Armin, Beyhan, Isabella Fortuna, Şeker aga, sultan Ahmet, Mehmet Giray, Mihrünissa, sultan Mustafa, Zülfikar

Purgatory 1st circle (a few months and like one forgiven murder from heaven at most): Hatice, Ayas pasha, Ayşe (MC, season 1), Cevher, Ebu Suud, Efsun, Firuze, Lokman aga, Nigar kalfa, Sümbül, Cennet, Derviş pasha, Handan, sultan Osman 2nd circle (your sins don’t outnumber the times you made this show infinitely better by your mere presence): Hürrem, Mahidevran, Fatma sultan, Mercan, Nurbanu, Şah, Fahriye sultan, Gabriella de Sfeo 3rd circle (I hereby sentence you for being a boring bitch): şehzade Mustafa, Aybige, Dudu, Elif, Esma, Fidan, Helena, Nurbahar, Nazli, Nilüfer, Atmaca, Halil pasha (MCK, s1), Iskender, Yavuz, Zümrüt aga, Fahriye kalfa, Rümeysa, Ayşe (MC season 3), Hadim Süleyman

Limbo (Who? I mean, those I don’t remember well enough): Alvise Gritti, Defne, Iskender pasha, Pedro, Anne of Poland, Gazanfer, Canfeda, Gracia Mendes, Kara Ahmet pasha, Lala Mustafa pasha, Piri pasha, Sinan pasha, Sokollu Mustafa, shah Tamhasp

Hell 1st circle (Satan has a super rad party here and guess what, you’re invited): Fatma (MC, seasons 2&3), Gülşah (see, it’s hell cause they are here together), Rüstem pasha, Safiye, Dilruba, Halime, Davut pasha, Menekşe, Şahin Giray 2nd circle (your only sin is being annoying but boy have you sinned): Mihrimah, s1!Kösem, Esmahan, Huricihan, Nazenin, Taşlicali Yahya, Ahmet pasha (MC, season 1), Haci Mustafa, Hümaşah (MCK), Katerina (MCK), Kiraz aga, Mahfiruz, Mahfiruze, şehzade Mehmet (both) 3rd circle (Fuck you. Just fuck you.): Ayşe Hafsa, Gülfem, Bali Bey, Barbarossa, Louis II. of Hungary (the character, not the historical king whom they absolutely butchered, asjgh...), Meleki, Kuyucu Murat, Zal Mahmut

Superhell (for all of your gay crimes: Ibrahim pasha, Süleyman, Lütfi pasha (he’s not gay, but he is probably homophobic, so this is a double superhell for him), Reyhan aga

[awkward-sultana]

Magnificent Century Season 3 + Palace Servants & Royal Children, Part 3 (Parts 1,2) 

[magnificentlyreused]

This set of a matching green and black coat and cape were first worn by Gülfem Hatun in the twenty-sixth episode of the third season of Magnificent Century. The set appeared again twice in the fourth season. First in the sixteenth episode on Fahriye Kalfa and then four episodes later on Mahidevran Sultan.

The set was also used for the spin-off Magnificent Century: Kösem where it is first worn by Menekşe Hatun in the sixteenth episode of the first season. Kösem Sultan only wears the coat in the twenty-seventh episode.

[sevgilisultana]

𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙨/𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 & 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 (1/?)

𝙃𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙠𝙞 𝙃𝙪̈𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙢 𝙎𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙣 (𝟮/𝟮)

𝘼𝙛𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙣 (𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩)

𝙎𝙚𝙝𝙯𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙯𝙞𝙙 (𝙨𝙤𝙣)

𝙁𝙖𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙮𝙚 𝙆𝙖𝙡𝙛𝙖 (𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩)

𝙎𝙚𝙝𝙯𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝘾𝙞𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙧 (𝙨𝙤𝙣)

𝙎𝙚𝙝𝙯𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙢 (𝙨𝙤𝙣)

𝙎𝙚𝙝𝙯𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙝𝙢𝙚𝙙 (𝙨𝙤𝙣)

[shivrcys]

And of course Fahriye is accompanying Hürrem

[mc-critical]

I can tell you adore Mahidevran, so I need to ask. Between all of her kalfas (Gulsah, Fatma, Fidan, Diana/Fahriye), who did you prefer and who do you think she had the strongest relationship with?

Ahh, yes, I adore her so much! 😊 Thank you for the question, because I find this topic very interesting and I've always wanted to cover it. (that's why, along with my favourite relationship, I'll go through them all.)

The relationships Mahidevran had with her kalfas/servants are consistently determined by boundless loyalty and ability to be relied on in every case. And that's normal, because it's what's expected in the system and her role as a sultana where every mistake has the chance to put you in a dangerous position, even if it's out of your sole control. However, these relationships evolve as she evolves in many different ways and I don't feel she treats her servants all that badly as the fanbase makes it out to be at times. They play a role in humanizing her just like her other positive relationships and she has her fair share of soft moments with them.

My vote for Mahidevran's best relationship with a kalfa (also my personal favourite character of the bunch) goes to Fidan. She represents the best of Mahidevran's newfound calmness and levity in later seasons - it's perhaps her most "mellow" relationship. It's also the most prominent one since Gülşah, which adds even more points. Mahidevran and Fidan get closer with time. First they didn't have much of a base where she was in Hürrem's party at first (though she still shared more scenes with Gül Aga than her) and then Gülşah and Fatma overshadowed her role, but afterwards it was clear how much they respected and trusted each other. The loyal aspect of such relationship certainly played the strongest with Fidan - while following Mahidevran's every order and always doing her duties faithfully without a second thought, she was this devoted to Mahidevran to the point I feel a part of her shared her principles for following tradition (as seen with both Fatma and Ayşe Hatun) and didn't want to leave her when she was in poverty and offered her to leave herself in order to find a better life. Fidan loved Mahidevran so much she assured her she didn't have any fault in E105 and asked her how did she forgive Hürrem after everything. Mahidevran hasn't really been that cordial with her servants for a long time, that's why Fidan was such a big step for her: she finally found one who would be always by her side, one she could fully trust and share everything with. And Mahidevran knew it well, especially by the end of S03 and the whole S04: she entrusted her to be her baş kalfa until the end, Fidan was the only one who knew about her plan for Mehmet,  they both went to the woman who gave the fortune amulet for Mustafa in E123. They worked together and it showed, in more harmony than Mahidevran's other relationships of this kind. They complemented each other so well with their gained and present emotional maturity. There barely were problems between them, except for them disagreeing about Rumeysa in E96 and some moments where Fidan made grave mistakes (like losing the trails of the spy in E78). Fidan knew Mahidevran well, being aware and sympathetic of all her experiences, while demanding respect for her of the others in the harem in a way that doesn't harm her. Fidan is the servant Mahidevran has been the most lenient to, while demanding the necessary amount of loyalty.

Admittedly, I find Mahidevran's relationship with Gülşah interesting, in spite of its toxicity. They begin with years of experience together and it's perhaps the relationship where Mahidevran expresses her vulnerability and desires most openly, at least at first. Gülşah is clearly dedicated to her sultana, even if in a very unhealthy way: she ties Mahidevran's wishes to her own to the point what Gülşah wants automatically becomes what Mahidevran needs in her eyes, no matter that her mistress may tell her the opposite. Gülşah's excuse is always that she does everything for her sultana's own good, but she actually clings to her selfish impulses more often than not. When Mahidevran told her numerous times not to act against Hürrem, Gülşah felt she must at all costs do so, even in secret, when she was the one offended, knowing that Mahidevran may not want it now, but that life would be better for them both when it's done anyway. And it's a pattern that is followed with many actions of Gülşah's before and afterwards, making the loyalty to Mahidevran disappear more and more, without Gülşah actually realizing it. I get why she would want to go for this stuff: outside of Mahidevran, Gülşah doesn't have anyone, really - she's usually mocked in the harem by Nigar, Sümbül, Gül and even Şeker Aga or Daye later alike. Her serving Mahidevran may be her only solace not only in terms of existence (that's why she felt so helpless when Mahi finally showed her the door), but also in terms of status and respect, hence even when she makes up stuff or does something wrong, she feels it may up their duty to respect her, as much as it may even Mahidevran's odds against Hürrem. But what Gülşah actually ends up doing isn't at all helpful and only does more harm and brings more trouble than it's worth. That's why I feel Mahidevran should've shown her the door even earlier. That's why Gülşah "goes too far away from her role" and it all causes more suffering both for her and Mahidevran.

Mahidevran, in her part, cares about Gülşah a lot, though, and I felt it's namely that care, that strive of Gülşah's to make things right so many times, the reminder of the long time she served her and Mahidevran's need to feel less alone, for someone to listen and share her worries with when problems occur (which is more in S01 than in S02, but still) what made her to keep her for this much time, despite that she was certainly aware of the fact that Gülşah may cause her problems. An interesting thing I found on rewatch is that Mahidevran didn't trust her as much early on as she trusted, say, Fidan or Fatma, seen by how hesitant she was to even give her the task to poison Hürrem. (or is that also because of Mahidevran's own uncertainty of the whole thing that the wish of seeing Hürrem's end ultimately prevailed over? Eh, maybe both.) She also consistently asked her was she sure about what she has heard or seen, she read through her moods quickly, managing to realize when she messed up (or wasn't fine in general) in E23, along with having suspicions in E58 etc. - maybe they had issues in Manisa, too, but they magnified by thousand in Topkapi, going beyond Mahidevran's every expectation or doubt. Mahidevran's most negative traits in Topkapi often manifested through Gülşah: shifting the blame to her and her alone in the poison situation, beating her up in E23, letting her stress and anger out on her, which was a big episode for her. But at the same time, Mahidevran vouched for Gülşah more than anyone- she didn't want to give her up even in her biggest crime in E23, she was so glad when she was back in E09, she usually turned to her first when good things were happening. It's like Gülşah was supposed to be the one next to her, but after a certain point, Mahidevran kept her only because of narrative stagnation when she trusted her in S02 much more than she did in S01 before her biggest screwup. They both weren't a good influence on each other overall. It was a necessary relationship for Mahidevran's story, but she's much better off without her. Gülşah also did a part in triggering Mahidevran's worst instincts in acting in tense situations and it's even worse that except for one case, she was always rightfully harsh even when she went too far: Gülşah's obsession for her triggered her own worst character traits as much as it did her best ones. The situation with Gülşah in E23 is probably what caused Mahidevran to seem more closed off with servants aside from Fidan when it came to showing as much care and letting them near her.

I see Mahidevran's relationship with Fatma as more mixed: while she appreciated her loyalty as she said in E81 and realized that it would've been better for her to leave the harem after little Süleiman's death before she got worse, there were times when both of them were at odds. Fatma was probably the biggest offender of the side of Mahidevran's that is closing herself off I mentioned above (along with her getting carried away in her own power and victory while ruling the harem in S02): she didn't appreciate Fatma "biting off more than she could chew" and going maybe too far with her ambition for Mustafa in her eyes. She also had several other problems with her: she wasn't okay with Fatma neglecting her child. She, as a keeper of tradition, wasn't okay with her complaining about Helena. She rightfully wasn't okay with her crying and complaining that could harm the baby in her belly. She was still willing to sacrifice her in a point of no return to prevent Mustafa from marrying Helena when reasoning with him didn't work. Mahidevran sure appreciated what Fatma did for her, kept her by her side when she ruled the harem (yes, she did that also because of Fatma's stunt with the concubine that had to go to Mustafa, but still, Fatma's loyalty was also a reason.) and cared for her wellbeing, but it felt like Fatma was never truly in her complete favor, Mahidevran never truly opened up to her the way she could with others. She had to always keep an eye on her and keep her in check. It certainly was a better relationship than with Gülşah, Fatma was definitely doing her job very well and she and Mahidevran still had nice moments that contrasted with her strictness here, but it still wasn't the best.

Diana started out in a very promising manner and it was a very unusual start for Mahidevran herself, as well: Diana is both rebellious, yet loyal and honest; and that honesty in her eyes caused Mahidevran to believe her even though she, for all Mahi knew, could've lied about did she steal the money from the concubine or not anyway. Mahidevran could discard the usual scolding for causing strife in the harem when the one who caused it showed loyalty. Mahidevran valued that Diana was merely following her duties, even though it was why her plan for Helena went wrong, which is an indicator of her character development: showing her progression in reaction once she could pull herself together and move forward and was being overally more collected and patient. (she wouldn't have reacted like this in S01/2) Diana was in the position of a servant who was slowly winning Mahidevran's favor time and time again to the point Mahi began fully trusting her to do a dangerous task. It all began to falter once she was sent to Topkapi, though: it seemed like Diana and Mahi didn't keep in touch that much (the message in E90 aside) due to the risky circumstances and Şah Sultan's interference and once she became Fahriye Kalfa, she ultimately became much more devoted to Hürrem than she ever was to Mahidevran. It's like the loyalty to Mahidevran had no ground to stand on anymore, hence Mahidevran couldn't trust her anymore and them parting ways. I admit I didn't like the direction the writers took Diana to, in spite of its inevitability: she lost nearly everything that made her so interesting to begin with and was hardly that involved in the story anymore; it's saddening when she had such a solid foundation. I have a soft spot for this foundation: it was an amazing start for Mahidevran's new "life chapter" and it helped soften her up when we went forward for Fidan, too. 

[ibrahimnerde]

Who’s your favorite between Fahriye and Nigar kalfa. Between Afife and Daye hatun like character analysis?

I have a soft spot for Fahriye kalfa/hatun but will choose Nigar. Fahriye is amazing, strong and loyal that’s why I have a soft spot for her. My problem is that she starts to lack personality when the show continues. I love how how she switched sides from Mahi to Hurrem , not that because I generally love Hurrem, but also it show that Fahriye isn’t just mindless kalfa that obeys her sultana ( mahi) without thinking. Even if Fahriye betrayed Hurrem not Mahi I’d still love her. Fahriye tho starts being bland like everyone else , yeah still brave and strong, but lost what made her unique. It is not about loyalty because Sumbul agha is loyal to Hurrem but he still has his own presence that makes him memorable.

That’s why I basically stand with Nigar Kalfa. Ik she was delusional with her love for Ibrahim but can we put that aside? Nigar is a great example of nailing the system but not being engulfed by it. She is her own person, she chooses who to serve and who to leave for good. She has her own views. For example, she viewed Mahidevran to be weak that’s why she never supported her despite the fact that logically Mahidevran is more beneficial, she is the mother of the very promising prince, the ideal consort of SS that is loved and supported by the royal family. One would ask why Nigar wouldn’t be supporting her or at least trying to get on her good side,right? They didn’t click , Nigar didn’t see the potential and maybe Gulsah’s presence made it harder so Nigar never tried but again when Mahi was fed up with Gulsah Nigar didn’t try to take her place in fact forced Mahi to make Valide promote her position. Nigar is very opportunistic and will make the most out of what she has. Unlike harem servants , Nigar didn’t serve only one person for the long run. As long as she is benefiting she’ll serve. Something @astrangechoiceoffavourites pointed out to me that Nigar wasn’t killed at the end, she killed herself. That just shows she was her own person and her life is not controlled by them.

Between the wet mothers I love both Daye and Afife can’t choose between them.

Afife hatun is your ideal wet mother. She is very neat , fair and dutiful. She doesn’t serve anyone specifically she is there to assert the system. If she is loyal then she is loyal to the system and traditions. Despite being strict and firm, she is also loving and understanding. One of the sane characters actually. She changes her previous ideas about Hurrem , tries to be more understanding and appreciates the love Hurrem and SS have for each other. Unfortunately, her character wasn’t used enough in the rest of the show. My heart shattered at her death tho…

Daye hatun wayy different that Afife with some similarities. Both are strict and firm about the laws and the rules , unlike Afife tho, Daye’s loyalty is personal with Valide sultan not just because she is the harem ruler but because she is devoted to Ayse Hafsa sultan. She is devoted to the person more than the position. Daye only “betrayed” Valide in some situation , giving Leo’s notebook to Hurrem, when Hurrem was lost in the forest and lastly when they burned Hurrem’s face. Actually these “betrayals” were beneficial to Valide at last. Daye realized Hurrem is innocent so why break SS heart over something that didn’t happen? In the two other situations Daye knew if she didn’t step in Valide would be blamed for it cause who else would try to get rid of Hurrem without fearing the consequences? She wasn’t being un-loyal to valide , she was saving her even if it meant going against valide’s will.

The only time she was not loyal is when she kept Nigar’s secret. Daye hatun keeping the secret shows that she is much more than Valide’s servant. Throughout this period she had an internal conflict between being the loyal servant and the mother figure for Nigar. At last she’ll kill herself because no matter how much we see from Daye the person, she doesn’t find a purpose for her life when Valide is dead. She probably lived her whole life devoted to Valide, very unhealthy devotion that when valide dies , life in Daye’s eyes doesn’t have a meaning anymore.Specially since guilt is eating her up because she didn’t tell valide the truth about Nigar sooner.

Honestly, Daye’s character shows are interesting side of how these slaves’ life were fucked up. They are abducted and are forced into obedience till they inherently start loving and devoting themselves for their oppressors. Ik Valide didn’t kidnap Daye herself it is just that she contributes in this fucked up system. Ik a lot of people question Daye’s or Sumbul agha’s morality but honestly who’s gonna be moral after going through all of this? They didn’t choose the system they tried to survive and live. I have a lot to say about Sumbul but not now.

[faintingheroine]

Thoughts on Fahriye Kalfa?

As of Episode 99, my opinion is best summed up as “she is okay”. I don’t actively care about her but I also don’t resent her screen time in any way. She was a bit more interesting at Manisa when she was the gender non-conforming Diana.